


Sciophobia

by 12oclockAM



Category: Homestuck, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Dave is Beatrice but a Crow, Gamzee is the beast, HIC is Adelaid, Humanstuck, Inspired, Karkat is Wirt, M/M, Psiioniic is the Woods guy with the axe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/12oclockAM/pseuds/12oclockAM
Summary: Sciophobia- fear of shadowsYour name is Karkat Vantas, and ever since your sister Nepeta went missing in the woods that surround your town, you have felt nothing but pain, grief, and rage. You're going to get her back.Your name is Dave Strider, and upon becoming a crow, you have been doing all that you can to bring Her Imperious Condescension a child so that she can turn you back. The last child you tried to bring her very easily escaped, and was too hyper for you to lure. Now though, you see a boy your age.Neither of you are sure you if you can do this.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 15
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a really pretty and cute drawing of Karkat in Wirt's costume by dumb.klondyke on instagram!! You should like... DEFINITELY go follow them... right now... :J

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and ever since your sister Nepeta went missing in the woods that surround your town, you have felt nothing but pain, grief, and rage. You're going to get her back.

Now, to most people, this idea would seem pretty fucking stupid. It is well known that anyone who goes over the garden wall is never to be seen again. But it's been three days since you've seen your little sister and you just want her back. As much as everyone thinks you hate her, both you and her know you would fucking die for her. She doesn't deserve to spend the rest of her life lost in a creepy forest.

This in mind, you put on your sleeveless coat that Kanaya made for you, and pack your bags. Said bags really just being a back pack with a three water bottles, some bags of food like crackers, nuts, and apple slices, and a compass. You have your phone in your pocket, and a portable charger also in your bag. All and all, you like to think you're prepared enough to go out and find your sister.

You sneak out of your house, leaving a note for your older brother and sister to tell them that you'll only be gone for a few days, and head for the garden wall across the train tracks.

It doesn't take too long, maybe about ten minutes, before you're staring at a massive, looming hedge that has only caused the kids on your street fear and suspicion. For some it has even caused pain, or sadness. You happen to be one of those people.

Now, it isn't like you're not scared to go in there. You're fucking _terrified_ of what may lie in the forest. But you shove all of that aside in order to find your little sister. She and Meulin are actually your step-sisters, but you care about them none the less. Nepeta used to keep you company when Dad had to go to work, and Dis was outside gardening all day. Kankri was always working at the library so that he could pay for collage, and Meulin was always reading or at a friends house.

So Nep was really all you had. The fact that she's gone is... well, not _gone_. You'll get her back.

You take a deep breath, and shove your way through the hedges. It's dark, way darker then you expected it to be, when you make it through. The trees block all of the sunlight, and not a sound could be heard other then the wind. You really, really just want to turn around and go home, but you're not letting your wimpy ass leave your sister alone out here. So you walk, flinching at the soft thumps or crunches as your feet hit the forest floor. The crisp, autumn wind gives you chills.

As you walk, the distant sound of water and wood creaking comes to your ears. Squinting, you see a water mill, a comfy house next to it. On the porch is a tall man, with black hair and pale skin. He's holding a lantern, and looking into the soft flames of it sadly. You don't know if you should go talk to him, in case he's like... a murderer or something. Jason shit. But as you begin to walk back slowly, you step on a branch that... you're sure wasn't there before.

The man jumps, and stares at you with wide eyes. It's silent for a moment, and you grip your backpack straps tighter as he stands up, an angry look on his face. "Child! What are you doing here?! You're going to get yourself killed!" His voice is exasperated, as if in shock that anyone would even fathom crossing the wall. Which... yeah, okay that's a valid reason to be upset. If one of your friends told you that they were going to cross the wall you would probably go off on them.

You walk closer to the mill, slowly. "I'm just trying to find my sister. Have you seen any short girls with shorter black hair and tanned skin run around here?" You ask, shakily. He sighs, shaking his head. "You're sister is probably long gone, boy. Either fallen victim to the Beast or _Her_." His face still shows anger, but he also looks grim. As if he feels sad for you.

You look down at your feet, and he just sighs again. "Come inside, child." You nod, having a feeling he's trustable. His home is... rather normal. If not dark. The man sits in a chair, and beckons you to sit on the couch in front of it. "So, I am sorry about your sister. But you must know how dangerous it is in these woods" You nod, having heard stories and folk lore about it.

"I know. But there is still a chance that she's fine. Nepeta has always had this talent for escaping danger, and she is actually a really good fighter. She took down a motherfucking coyote with her bare hands and teeth so I wouldn't be surprised if whatever was out there just thought she was some rabid animal." You smile sadly to yourself, but also that story is definitely true.

The man crosses his legs, placing the lantern gently on the side table. "While that is impressive, no child is safe in this retched forest. Not even ones as.. talented, as your sister." You frown. He speaks as if he's talking from experience, which is honestly pretty sad.

"I will help you find a way out once I gather more branches for my lantern. Just, please, do not leave this cabin." You look up from your hands as you see him pick back up the lantern, and walk out of the door.

You can't decide whether you should do as the man says or not. You don't want to believe the Nepeta may be...gone. You don't want to believe that you will never see your little sister again. You don't want to believe that you couldn't help her.

A croak jumps you from your thoughts, and you look at the open window to see a little frog, or toad you can never tell the fucking difference, looking at you. You walk over to the creature, giving it a pat on the head with your fingers. It's actually pretty cute, and it closes it's eyes as you pet it. "Awh." You mutter to yourself. Nothing is really here to watch you coo over a toad/frog so you're not going to put up your usual pissed off façade. Well, some time's it isn't a façade but whatever.

A loud crash from where the windmill is makes both you and the amphibian jump. It leaps into your arms, and you hold it as you look around fearfully. Another crash is heard, but this time it is from a giant, black paw stomping into the house, creating a whole that allows you to see a colorful, psychotic looking Wolf's eye,

The eye is a neon blue, pink, and yellow, ringing around into a hypnotic like pattern. The paw, now that you look at it, is much like a clawed hand. Everything about the giant beast is pitch black, and it's almost impossible to tell any further details other then it's shape and eyes. Also it's many, sharp teeth, you realize as it... fucking smiles. Okay.

You clutch the frog tighter to your chest as you leap out of the house, and the wolf growls at you. You look around, hoping the man will just appear out of nowhere to help. The frog croaks, placing it's small, webbed hand onto your own. It's adorable but right now is most definitely _not_ the time to focus on how much you like amphibians. Are frog/toads amphibians? You're pretty sure they are.

You dive out of the way of the offending claw that was swiped at you, rolling so you don't fucking crush the creature in your arms. "Shit shit fuck holy fuck shit oh my-" You continue to curse to yourself as you continue to dodge it's swipes and bites. At some point you manage to hide behind the now falling apart house. You feel bad for the man, seeing as he'll have to fix all of this.

The wolf sniffs around, still fucking smiling and it's awful and you wish you never came here.

Looking around for something to help, you see a shot gun that was hung up over the fire place laying a few feet away from you. You carefully place the... you're just going to assume frog, in your back pack, and pick up the gun.

It has five bullets in it, and you know how to use one from that one time Dis brought you and your siblings hunting. You and Kankri were the only two who could get the hand of guns, Meulin and Nepeta giving up easily for knives and shit. God, the Leijons are weird.

You aim the shot gun at the back of the beast's head, waiting for it to look at you. You cock the gun, and the noise attracts the wolf's attention as you shoot, landing a shot successfully where the right side of its brain would be. It writhes for a moment, howling in pain, before is falls into a heap of pitch black shadows, not even looking like the shape of a wolf anymore.

Suddenly, the shadows spread into the forest, and a dog, you don't know dog breeds but it's a pretty average looking dog, lies where the beast did previously. It gets up, looks around, and looks at you excitedly. Like an innocent little puppy with no care in the world. You walk over and pet it, and it barks happily.

The man comes running from a bush as you sling the shot gun around your back, breathing heavily. He looks from his house, then to you, then the dog, then back to you. "What happened?!?" His voice shows nothing exasperation and fear. "Big black wolf, frog, shot gun, wolf died, small dog." You summarize, petting the dog more. He only grows more confused. You're really tired, and you may have some bruises from all of the ramming into the ground, but hey, you're not dead yet!

He sighs. "What is your name, child?" "Karkat Vantas." He looks at you weirdly. "Vantas?" You nod. He hums. "I am Psii Captor. Now let's go, I'm sure I can get you out of here by the end of today." You frown. You really, really don't want to just give up on finding your sister. You go with him anyway, though. Even if you did find her, it's not like you would find a way out for both of you. Then you would both die if she isn't already dead. Fuck.

A dreary, forlorn feeling tells you that nothing is going to go back to normal by the end of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We take a peak into the view of a certain boy turned bird...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I forgot I was even doing this- won't happen again! Sorry lads.

Your name is now Dave Strider, and you are a crow.

Well, you weren't always a crow. You _used_ to be a regular, blonde little dude. Actually, you were actually pretty tall for your age. Whatever, not the point, what you mean is that you were turned _into_ a crow by some tall lady with vast amounts of hair. And all because you accidentally killed _one_ fucking bird. You didn't particularly know that killing birds was illegal in these stupid woods but you, sir, have apparently just committed the worst type of crime ever to be crimed. You were punished thoroughly, and now you and your older brother Dirk are crows.

Dirk has an incredibly weak, and frail body as a bird. It was so weird, seeing the usually strong boy have to cower into himself in fear of the breeze. So now you go looking for a child to sacrifice to the Condesce to fix your problem.

Now, you're aware, that's pretty fucked up. You don't exactly _want_ to do it. It's not like you're overflowing with joy about getting to give a kid off to a witch so she can do who knows what to them. You actually detest the idea, but she said to give her someone either your age or below, and that's all you have to do for her to cut your brother and yours wings off so you both can go back to being humans.

So, that is what you've been attempting to do for two fucking days now. This girl that wandered in here not too long has no clue what your plans are, but she's doing a damn fine job at avoiding it. Whenever you talk to her, she speaks in confusing puns and third person, and she just licks her lips hungrily sometimes. At first you thought she was just really fucking weird, but no, she's just crazy.

You learn that once you watch her take down a wolf with her bare hands and cooks it over a fire to eat. Where she learned to do shit like that, you have no idea. You decide to keep your distance when she's hungry.

After a few more days, you lose her. Sighing inwardly, you start to fly back home. You always liked watching the ground swoop by while flying; it probably being the only upside to being a crow now. You're upset Dirk can't witness it though.

Though, looking at the ground, you see a boy get knocked out of some bushes by and unknown force. He's got black hair, tanned skin, and piercing grey irises. He's also hugging a frog to his chest, and he looks around as he sits up, his cloak hugging him and his amphibian companion. You swoop down onto a branch above him, and he looks at you wearily.

You jerk your head up. "Hey." "OHHOLYSHIT-" The boy, who has a surprisingly raspy voice, jumps. Yeah, he probably wasn't expecting you to talk. Woops. You peck at your wing, looking back at him casually. He's glaring at you like you've personally offended him.

"You know, you could have been a _little_ more subtle about the fact that you're a _talking fucking bird_. Boy am I oh so lucky to not be an old man with the risk of heart failure. You're a dick, you know that?" He rants slightly, sitting up and letting the frog jump back into his arms. You're surprised that he's less shocked about the whole 'you can talk' thing and more pissed off over the fact you scared him.

It's not as noticeable with a beak, but you smirk. "Sorry princess, didn't mean to startle you so. What are you doing around here? It's dangerous you know." You say, condescendingly. He's still glaring at you, but it looks more... natural, you guess? Like that's his resting face. "I need to find my sister. I know she's still alive, but I miss her none the less. Even if she is a creepy fucking role player that talks in third person, who the fuck does that." He murmurs that last part, but you feel elated as it hits your...ears? Sure, ears.

"Does she wear a blue beanie, green trench coat, and baggy overalls?" His eyes widen a fraction, and he nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, have you seen her? I mean, obviously you fucking have but, shit, where is she?" He looks so... relieved. Like he's happy that there's a chance that he'll find his sibling. Of course he would be, but you hate it. You hate it because you'll have to sacrifice him due to giving up on the other girl. Meaning he'll never get to see her again.

You nod anyways, trying to think of what's best for Dirk here. "If you want, I can lead you to her. She's at the Condesce's house, the ruler of these woods. Well, basically the ruler. But anyways, yeah I can show you the way there. Aint got nothin' better to do." You shrug indifferently.

The boy looks contemplative for a minute, and for good reason. You really, _really_ do not want to go through with this. The poor dude wants exactly what you want; your siblings. He sighs, obviously not wanting to agree but deeming he has to. "Fine, fuck. I'm Karkat, my sister is Nepeta." Strange names, but you won't judge. You don't want the dudes final days to be awful for him.

"Dave Strider." He snorts, even if his face is in a perpetual frown. You roll your eyes, but he most likely can't tell. You nod your head in the frogs direction. "What about that cool dude right there?" You say, hopping onto Karkat's shoulder. He looks down at the frog, patting its head lightly. "This fucking hero is the Mayor of Can Town. He has saved multiple lives and deserves the utmost respect, Strider."

You smile, nodding. "Of course, I give nothing but respect and trust in the Mayor." Karkat grunts, as if he's serious about all of this. You can tell he's straining to hide a smile though.

Fuck, you can't do this.

Shiiittt, yes you can.

Can you?

Absolutely.

Not.

Absolutely you can not fucking do this.

You inhale quietly, telling Karkat to go down the path in front of you both. He nods determinedly, obviously happy to be able to see his sister again. God, this is awful. You hate this for him. If it was just the girl, you would have been a little less upset about this. She obviously wasn't going to make it out of these woods without a guide, and she wasn't going to have any family reunions any time soon. But Karkat is _looking_ for someone. He knew this place was dangerous, who doesn't, and he came in here anyways so he could find his sister. And he won't ever be able to see her again anyways.

God _dammit._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat and Dave get into a wacky shenanigan containing haunted manors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late halloween! Sorry I didn't post a halloween oneshot or anything, I was partying too hardying.

You don't know what to believe anymore.

It feels like you're dreaming, almost. You've seen and almost been killed by a giant shadow wolf as if you were in some twenty-fifteen edgy animation meme, the forest literally pulled you away and threw you into a field from your only chance of escape, and a talking bird named Dave is now helping you find your little sister.

You find that, sadly, you are not dreaming. How, you may ask? Well, when a giant bolt of lightening hits mere centimeters from your foot, and you can feel all of the electricity going up your spine, realization likes to take a long, dreadful visit to your mental stability.

Dave squawks, literally, and leads you through a few trees, away from the lightning crusading around the once peaceful field. You have no clue why the weather decided to take a huge shit on your already disastrous day by changing from bright and sunny to dark and rainy in a matter of seconds, but you don't have time to question it while you try to keep up with the crow flying ahead of you.

It's hard to keep up with Dave, mainly because he's a bird and is _flying_ , but also because in the dark of the woods, it's hard to see his small black form.

You call his name, the thunder muffling it slightly as he continues to panic and swerve through trees at such a pace that you are finding it even harder to keep up. He looks back a little, his red, beady eyes glowing, and slows down a little. You continue to run after him as he leads you through the forest, trying to make it easier on you by slowly turning this way and that, and soon enough he raises his wings, letting the wind take him backwards before he latches onto your shoulder.

"Ow!" You hiss, as Dave's talons grapple your shoulder. "Sorry dude, but look." He nods in front of you both, and you look to see a dark, looming mansion. The forest and storm seem to get quieter around the building, and an eerie feeling creeps up your skin.

Dave nods to it again, and you walk your growingly soar legs towards the two, giant doors. You knock. Nothing. Dave shivers somewhat, and you follow as you slowly creak open the doors, everything going silent as you do.

The air flow seems to stop once you step into the dark building, and you feel like you've just done something bad and you're anticipating the lecture from Kankri. You tense, and you feel the crow on your shoulder stiffen as well. In the corner of your eye, you swear you see the shadows move, as if they're dancing in and out of your vision in some twisted waltz.

As you step in further, the doors slam shut behind you, breaking the frightening silence, only to add more horror to it once the sound of the slam finishes its journeying echo that seems to shake the whole building. You both stare at the doors, dread easing its way through the many emotions fleeting up to your face. Dave looks indifferent, but he's a bird so you're not sure how much you can get from his face.

Look at this absolute asslord, not taking a birds emotions into consideration.

Dave speaks after a long, sharp silence. "So... this is pretty cliché." You jump a little at how loud his voice seems in the quietness of the manor, and he seems upset about the fact that he spoke in the first place. You nod, this is pretty unoriginal. That doesn't make it any less scary though.

You're glad to know that you're not the only one seeing shadows move in the corner of your peripheral, if Dave's head snapping here and there says anything. You inhale shakily, the sound echoing like your now moving footsteps. Dave keeps watch while you walk to the couch in front of you, what little light you're getting from the windows and the glowing of Dave's eyes leading you along in the darkness.

Looking over the couch, your breath becomes caught in your throat, and you hold your hands to your mouth, as not to make a sound. Dave looks to you, concerned and confused, before he sees the sheet-addled body laying across the couch. Blood seeps through the cloth in far too many places for any chance of the person to still be alive.

You never quite fancied blood. Not the red of it, not the smell of it, not the feel of it, nothing about it. Kankri told you that, much like your father, you were hemophobic. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to get the image of the bloody sheet out of your head. You take a deep breath, in and out, in and out.

"Karkat? You alright?" Dave asks, touching your cheek with a wing. You hear his voice as Mom's. You miss your Mom. You miss Dad, too. And your siblings. And your cute little house that you all lived in near the forest, but not too close so that you had a good bit of field to play around in. Does Nepeta feel like that? Does she miss you guys? Every time one of you got into an argument with her she said she wished she was away from all of you, and with the animals in the forest and somewhere _free_. She probably loves it here. With the animals, the adventure, where she _wants_ to be. Maybe she left on purpose, and will just be mad at you if you find her.

You feel feathers continuously his your face, and you open your eyes to see Dave looking back in front of you. The body, still covered in bloody white sheets, is standing now. And it's looking directly at you.

Grabbing Dave from your shoulder and to your chest, you book it back to the doors. You know they're probably locked, but there are two, thin, tall windows surrounding them. Thin and tall enough that you could fit in them if you wanted to jump through.

Dave is making an awful sound that's just a mix of screaming and squawking, saying that the body is chasing you. Voices surround you, some saying things that make no sense to you, some pleading for you to stay, some saying things that just make you want to cry.

" _Why did you do this to us, bro?"_

 _"_ _Karkitty, you ruined evfurything!"_

_"HONK"_

_"Please don't go."_

_"We're lonely."_

_"Dave, where are you?"_

_"God dammit Karkat, why do I even bother?"_

_"Come back."_

_"It hurts."_

_"Dave, what the fuck did you do."_

_"Karkat, dear, come home."_

_"Why??"_

_"She hates you."_

_"He hates you."_

A yell makes its way from your throat as you crash through the window, skidding along the forest floor as Dave falls from your arms. Glass cuts your arms and cheeks, some on your legs and back. You look back to see that the building is gone, and both of you are laying just outside of the forest again. The sky is back to a bright blue, as if a storm never even happened.

You glare up at the sky, squinting as tears gently make their way down your face. Dave hops over to you, his red eyes seemingly dimmed in sadness somehow. He takes a look at you, then sighs. "I can get the glass out with my beak, but it'll probs be sloppy, painful, and a while." He suggests. You sniffle.

"Just... don't let me see the blood." He nods.

You _definitely_ can't do this.

_______________________________________________

Your name is Nepeta Leijon, and mew have successfully made your way out of the furest! As the queen of animals should. Mew hope no one missed mew too much! *AC waggles her eyebrows at the camera*

Mewlin, Kittenkri, Mom and Dad are all ofurjoyed by your return, but then mew ask about Karkitty, and get the worst mews mew could have pawsibly gotten.

"He went out to find you... he hasn't come back in three days."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave thinks about his new travelling partner, and they both gain a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've stated this before but I just want to repeat, pining Dave is the best.

You watch Karkat wrap gauze around his torso, trying to cover the glass cuts on his back to the best of his ability. You would help, but there isn't much you can do without your hands. The thought makes you take a peak at Karkat's own hands, which are also bandaged. He got a lot of glass in him, and you still taste a little bit of the iron from his blood on your tongue.

He concerned you when he stared at that persons corpse. Of course, anyone would react pretty bad at the sight of a dead body, especially if it was his first time seeing one. But the way that he did... it's as if he was more focused on the blood and not the fact that there was literally a dead person there. He looked out of it, as if the life left his eyes for a moment. It scared you.

That fear didn't go away as the body rose, and as you both started running, voices were surrounding you both. Some were Dirk, chastising you about all that you've done. Some were people whos voices you can't recognize other then Karkat's sister, and they were all telling Karkat off, or sounding so... displeased with him. Both of these things were mildly discomforting. You know Dirk isn't upset with you. He's told you countless times that it isn't your fault. Even though it, like, literally is

He might have just been _saying_ that though.

No, no you can't let yourself spiral down that path again. You also remember hearing something else in the mass of voices that were whispering to you and Karkat. It was someone saying 'honk'. You don't really know who that one was indicated to, but it was chilling none the less.

You focus back in on Karkat, who's now just staring at the ground, his undershirt and cloak donned once again. For a teenager, he has pretty smooth skin. Only a few blemishes here and there. Seeing him from the side is honestly pretty astonishing. The sunlight brightening one side of his light brown skin, allowing the other side to be shadowed. Light shining in his eyes, making the pretty brown in them seem to glow. His perpetual frown just fits his entire mood, all slouched but elegant at the same time. It gives him a sense of authority, or something that makes him seem like a higher being than you are.

Realizing that you've been staring, you pretend prune your wing before he can notice. It's quiet for a little longer before he asks a question. "Did you hear the voices too?" His gaze wanders to you, and you feel like you've just been caught doing something you aren't supposed to, even though he doesn't seem upset at all.

You nod curtly, eyeing him from the side. He hums, looking back to the ground. He looks upset about something. Maybe what those voices said; they all sounded really upset with him. But if Dirk never said any of those things then surely none of those things were said to him.

A croak makes both of you jump, and the frog that Karkat has called 'The Mayor' peaks his head out of Karkat's discarded backpack. Karkat jumps up, running over to the frog and holding it gently. "Oh shit- I'm so sorry I forgot about you bud." He pats the frogs head gently, and you hate that you feel somewhat jealous, because really the Mayor is a saint. You love him.

"Was he hurt when you broke through the window?" You asked, hopping over to them. Karkat carefully observes the amphibian, it looking incredibly sleepy in Karkat's hands. "No, I don't think so. Maybe my extra clothes broke his part of the brunt, I don't know." You coo a little as a response, Karkat sitting the Mayor down in his lap and petting his forehead, gentle still.

He still looks like some... some type of God. Maybe a demi God, you don't know. He just looks like something that isn't just a normal person.

You're snapped from your thoughts when you hear a crack from behind you, and you both look to see a horse. The horse is big, definitely could fit the both of you. Wait, you're a bird. Both of you if you were _human_ , plus a frog. It's coat is a silky black, with matching black hair. It has a white, goggle like shape patch of fur going over its eyes though.

It trots over to you both, sniffing at Karkat. Of course all wild life loves him. Karkat sighs, and rummages in his bag, handing the horse an apple. It snorts happily, taking the apple and chewing it while Karkat sets a piece of bread in front of you. "I'm not sure what Crow's eat so this will just have to do." You peck at it, and yep, this is just ordinary store-bought bread. You don't know what you were expecting. You're thankful as fuck none the less, as you haven't eaten since this morning.

"Thank you, this is fine." He nods, setting the frog down so it could catch some bugs to eat. He pull out a bag of grapes for himself, and you've all got yourself a small picnic going. You actually kind of like this. Sucks that you have to sacrifice him to HIC.

...

You can't fucking do this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat and crew find a mysterious town. No this isn't the pumpkin episode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID say that it isn't the pumpkin episode but it is REALLY based off of it.

_You open your eyes, sitting up and looking around at the pitch black surroundings. Pink, blue, or yellow flecks pass by every now and then. You look behind you, where you think the source of these flecks are, but you see nothing, and the flecks just come from the direction you were just facing._

_It feels like you're being watched from every direction except the one your facing._

_Suddenly, a hand covers your mouth. You try to scream, or move, but nothing happens. The hand is extremely pale, and you feel breath on your neck. The person shooshes you, even though you aren't doing anything, as much as you hate it. A familiar voice says your name. You can't place your finger on who it is, but it's someone you know you trust. You lean back into the person, and all you feel is safety, as if you're secure in their arms. They tuck something behind your ear, and in your peripheral you see a red petal._

You awake, feeling like you never slept in the first place. That doesn't mean you feel tired; you feel like you've been wide awake for a while. No eye crust, no sore morning throat, no stiff limbs. You sit up, trying to remember your dream as you place a hand over your mouth. Who was that?

"Karkat." You jump a little, looking over at where _that_ voice came from. Dave is staring at you, his head cocked to the side. "You good bro? You look like you've seen a ghost." He hops next to you, and you move your hand away from your mouth. Why is his voice so much louder than it was before? "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a really fucking weird dream." He nods.

A snarl sounds behind you, and before you can look there is suddenly a horse snout on your shoulder. You snort, rummaging through your bag and handing the horse an apple. It takes it happily, and sits beside you. The Mayor hops off of the horse's back, onto your lap. Dave swoops onto your shoulder, slapping your face a little with his wing. This earns him a glare, and you a laugh.

"We should get going soon. Don't want to worry your sister." You nod, standing up and stretching. The horse stands as well looking at you expectantly. Oh. Okay. "Oh damn, we taking the horse? What's the occasion?" Dave asks as you place the Mayor into your bag gently and hop onto the horse. Meulin took you horse riding once, to which you excelled at it. it was kind of boring though.

You roll your eyes. "You're a bird, Dave. _I'm_ the one taking the horse here." You laugh a little when Dave groans, fluttering above so that he can guide you.

As you start your trip again, your mind continues to drift back to your dream. You feel like you should have been able to tell who that person was, and you're more than disappointed that you can't place that voice. The voice was quiet, and smooth, though there was a hint of an accent that you can't place either. The only people with hands that pale that you can recall are the Ampora's, but like hell you'd ever feel safe around them. Plus, both have different accents and neither of them were as nice as that one.

You end up riding for a few more hours before stopping short at a small town. More like a village, with its size. You raise a brow at Dave, who has landed on your shoulder. He shrugs his wings, and you just continue forward. Everything is eerily silent as you pass by. "Should we stop here? I'm kind of iffy about it." Dave whispers, and it send a shudder up your spine for some reason. Maybe for the break of silence.

"Yeah, I think we should just exit through the gate over there." You mutter back, nodding to said gate. He nods, and you continue trotting along silently. As soon as you get to the gate though, a shadow forms from the ground, and it morphs into a humanoid shape. The shadow then turns into a person in iron, knightly garb.

Dave jumps a little, and the horse stutters to a stop, taking a step back a little with a small neigh. "Halt! You must pay the fee to leave this town." The knight says in a booming voice. Suddenly, multiple other, identical knights surround you guys. You swallow. "What's your currency?" You say in a small voice.

"A life." Well fuck. You open your mouth to try and sweet talk your way out of this, but Dave extends a wing in front of you, shutting you up. He turns to your ear, and you expect him to explain his reasoning for interrupting, but instead he pulls something out from behind your ear.

He faces back to the knight, a red mum in his beak. "Plants are living beings," He says, spitting the flower into the knight's hand. "So technically this counts. We will be off now." The knight stares down at his hand silently, before stepping to the side. What the fuck?

You allow the horse to speed walk out of the village, and as you look back you notice that all of the knights are staring at you, so you quickly face forward again. "When did that get there?" And why is it so familiar? You don't ask. Dave scratches his wing with his beak for a second. "I put it in there while you were asleep. To piss you off." He adds that last sentence as if it where an after thought, and you roll your eyes.

"Well it's a good thing you did. But don't expect as much bread as I gave you yesterday." You snort as the crow groans. As you continue walking, all you can get out of your head is that voice, and that flower.

You hope you get to hear that voice again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat has more dreams about the mystery boy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like adding the mysterious dream boy that absolutely no one knows the identity of. Gives me a sense of poetic..ness..?

_You're back in this dark, cold place. You look around more calmly now, hoping that the person is here again. Honestly, you're not sure why he gave you so much comfort. That doesn't mean you don't want it again._

_Arms softly encase you in a hug from behind, and you instantly know that it's him. Suddenly, the cold of this dark void you find yourself in effects you in no way, his hold having enough warmth to make you fall asleep. Good thing you already are, you guess._

_"Who are you?" Your voice is distant as you ask this, tired, even. The familiar-yet-unfamiliar voice chuckles quietly, and it sounds like the trill of birds in the pleasant, dewy morning. "I can't tell you that yet. Besides, isn't it just nice enough being here?" You try to look up at him, his melodic voice making you wonder of his beauty, but he just gently places a hand over your eyes, and kisses your forehead._

_You both end up laying there together for a while, before you vision begins to blur. "Will I see you every time I go to sleep?" You ask, your voice getting further and further away. "Of course." He says in such a comforting tone._

_As you're about to wake up, you catch one more thing._

_"How else am I supposed to see you anymore?"_

_____________________________________________________

You blink awake, feeling as if you were never tired in the first place once more. Sitting up, you notice the morning sun is just rising, and you turn to see the animals, and Dave you guess, all cuddled up together. The frog is nestled into the horse's hair, Dave sitting against its side for warmth. This is when you notice that you had no cover the entire time, and you shiver. The warmth of the figure completely gone now. Damn you Nepeta, getting lost in autumn.

For a moment, you considered just passing out again just to see him, but you decide against it. That'd probably be awkward as fuck now that you think about it. Also, the distant fear of never waking up, never finding Nepeta, lingers in your bones.

A soft coo comes from your side, and you turn to see Dave hopping up, blinking for a minute, then focusing on you. You nod in his direction, getting up and stretching. You wince a little, having forgotten that you literally got glass lodged into your back and had to get a fucking bird to get them out. "G'mornin'. You aren't usually up this early." Dave states, sitting down next to you as you do. Seeing a crow sit is really fucking funny but you manage not to laugh.

"Yeah and I wish I wasn't. I was having a _really_ nice dream." You groan. Dave chuckles at your chagrin. "Well, I gotta go check with HIC and my bro. It should only take a few hours, so can you guys just chill here today?" You nod. "Nepeta is there, right?" Dave pauses, before nodding slowly.

You let a small smile slip past you, excited to see your sister. "Tell her I'm on my way, please?" He's quiet for a minute, only nodding again silently. He then mutters a small farewell, promising to be back, before flying away.

He's weird today. Maybe he's just so slow to respond because he just woke up, you don't. You skootch over to the still unnamed horse. You're thinking of just naming him Horuss, because it sounds so much like horse. Maybe Equine? Whatever, you're bad with names. You lean against the incredibly warm animal, wrapping your cloak even tighter around yourself.

After about an hour of just staring distantly into the sky and singing songs that float around in your head, you end up falling asleep again.

_____________________________________________________

_It's completely dark again. You're not really expecting to see the mystery boy too soon, seeing as you were just here not too long ago. Unless he can kind of, just, tell when you're here. That'd be nice._

_So you continue to sit in the cold darkness, the flecks from before beginning to become greater in number as time passes by. At some point, you feel a presence behind you, though it isn't warm like the boy. You turn to see a tall looming figure, somehow an even darker black color than your surroundings. Its eyes glow a vibrant, crazed mix of pink, yellow, and blue. A cold chuckle sounds from the figure as it grabs for you, making a familiar 'honk'._

_You flinch, closing your eyes and holding your arms in front of you, before all of the chilled air is gone, replaced with a familiar warmth. "Karkat! He didn't hurt you, did he?" A musical voice asks. He sounds concerned, and it does things to your stomach. You nod, shivering a little. He only hugs you tighter, though in no way is it too tight. He seems to be nothing but gentle with you._

_"I'm so sorry, I didn't expect you to be here again so soon. God, who knows what could have happened, I'm sorry." He rambles, burying his face in your hair. You take one of his hands, kissing his knuckles lightly. "It's alright. I don't really know what just happened, but I'm safe now. Thank you." You feel his mouth curl up into a smile in your hair. "And I'm sorry I scared you; I fell asleep waiting for someone." He nods. "It's okay. I'm happy to see you again."_

_You snort, leaning farther back into him. "I would say the same thing, but I'm doing a lot less seeing than you are." The boy shakes his head, chuckling. The banter makes a name flash in your head, but you lose it before you could really even process it. Fuck, you were close there. The boy begins to idly card his fingers through your hair, placing one of his hands on your bicep._

_A hiss quietly escapes between your teeth, and the boy pauses. "Are you okay?" He asks in a quiet, fucking gorgeously nice voice. Gorgeously nice? It's just. It's nice. You forget the question for a second, before you nod. "Yeah, I just have a lot of cuts on my arms and back." He's quiet for a minute, raising up your sleeve gently to see your poorly bandaged arms._

_"What happened?" He asks, unwrapping them to see many scabbed over cuts and dried blood. Yeah, you didn't do too great of a job cleaning them. "I had to jump out of a window. Fucking walking corpses." You grumble, trying to stay casual as he begins to kiss each cut gently. "Walking corpses? you mean zombies?" You can hear a hint of amusement in his voice, though concern almost makes you miss it._

_You groan, quietly. "I guess? At first we just thought it was a dead body, which in itself was fucking stupid. Fukin' hate blood," You mumble that last part. "Then after me just zoning out on the gaping whole in this guy's abdomen he's just, fucking, standing?? Then we heard voices non-stop and I had to jump out a window to escape them. I have a hunch, a small idea, don't out me on this if I'm wrong, that the place was haunted."_

_The boy snickers, letting your arm down and taking your other one. You peak at the arm, seeing all of the cuts and scars gone. Well now you're sure he's some kind of guardian angel. "So who's this person you keep talking about? I'm getting jealous." That makes your heart skip a beat, but you shake your head. "His name is Dave. He's an idiot crow that isn't actually even an idiot and kept us alive yesterday. Like hell I'm admitting that to him of all people though." The boy pauses, then snorts._

_"I think I know him. Though anyone could have the name Dave. Such a cool name, though." You groan quietly, and he just laughs softly, continuing to leave small pecks up your arm. You sigh contently, leaning your head back on his shoulder. He hums, and you can almost hear the smile in it. "I know you don't know who I am Karkat. I know just laying here with me all feels natural to you." You nod, opening your eyes that had closed out of peace._

_He lets your arm down, hugging you with both of them again. "But you'll know who I am in a few days. So for now, I just want to tell you, I love you." You blink, smiling warmly as you kiss his shoulder. "I love you too, random ass person in my dreams." He laughs, and it's so, so gorgeous._

_You two continue to talk, with some banter here and there, before you begin to wake up. Though this time waking up is not like any other time, this time it feels like you're falling. You jump, the boy jumping with you and letting you fall onto whatever floor you sit on. He places a hand on your shoulder, rushed but gently. "What is it?" He asks, concerned._

_"I'm falling in my sleep-" Your voice disappears as you look up to see a concerned frown on pale pink lips. You don't get to see anything else, but his lips looked soft._

________________________________________________________________

You plop onto the grass with a small 'oof'. You sit up, looking over to see the Horse eating grass idly. You glare at the being, then you feel a small tap on your hand, and Dave's voice urges you to turn your head to him. "Hey man. Sorry I woke you up, though you look like you weren't even asleep in the first place." He snorts. You sigh. "I don't feel like it either. To be honest, I wouldn't be too fucking surprised if I was just zoning out like shit with my eyes closed." You complain, stretching your arms above your head. The boy wasn't able to get your back, but you're thankful. It's pretty weird to kiss all over someone's putrid fucking back, too.

Dave stares at you for a minute, and you raise a brow, annoyed. "Your... arms seem a lot better." He says, a weird tone in his voice. You look at your arms. Oh yeah, he doesn't know about the literal fucking man of your dreams. You... honestly don't know how to explain the boy to Dave. He'd probably think you're weird.

So instead you shrug, feigning a mystified look. "Yeah... weird, huh?" You get up, picking up your backpack and opening it to see the Mayor curled up in it, sleeping like a baby. Tadpole. Whatever. What's a baby toad called? Is it still a tadpole? You honestly couldn't care less.

"Okay, let's cover some ground before the sun goes down." You say, hopping up onto the horse. Dave seems hesitant, still oddly silent as he flutters upwards, beginning to lead the way to Her Imperious Whateverthefuck's. You're glad you got to talk to the boy more. You hope you still get to see him when you get home.


End file.
